Secure the contract

As an industry that relies on a frequently changing and often transient workforce - with deliveries of fresh supplies every day, often to high-profile venues - you would think the world of contract catering had come to terms with security.

However, the powerful commercial pressure to provide an uninterrupted and consistent service may make security a troublesome area for contract caterers.

Jonathan Doughty, of Coverpoint Consultancy, reckons that the catering industry is more prone to security lapses than many other businesses, owing to the fact that it operates at odd hours of the day, using a workforce that comes and goes.

"When supplies of food and drink are arriving at a site at 5am, it is easy to let people through on a simple swipe of a card, without making physical checks," he says. "However, the physical checks are vital. A security card can be passed from one person to another, and unless physical checks are made with signatures, or photos against a face, there is going to be a risk."

Doughty also points to the fact that staff are often recruited by catering companies before they have been security-checked. "New members of staff generally don't receive their security pass until the security check has been completed," he says, "but, in some cases, they are allowed to start work by being signed in daily at reception by another member of staff."

The business world has been slower than the retail industry to embrace the need for security, according to Doughty. Two of his clients are the shopping centres at Bluewater in Kent and Trafford Park in Manchester.

"The retail sector has been on a heightened state of alert for a couple of years now," he says. "It is fully aware of the need to work closely with caterers, and to ensure that all IDs are properly checked and that all employees and suppliers are who they say they are. This means being suspicious of any unusual patterns of behaviour - maybe a supplier arriving at an unusual time of the day, in a different vehicle or with a different driver."

Chris Stern, of Stern Consultancy, says that it is very difficult for caterers to strike the right balance between being over-cautious and under-cautious. "But, unfortunately," he says, "in many cases the checks are just too lax."

He recalls a recent occasion when he was allowed into a high-profile building in the City of London and was issued a visitor's pass without being questioned as to who he was. "The catering company was not expecting me and the head chef met me without checking who I was," Stern says. "He didn't even ask for a business card."

He adds: "While security is generally client-driven, I do think that contract caterers should be taking more responsibility. If someone strange turns up, then the caterer needs to find out who they are."

The level of security required for a contract is, indeed, stipulated by clients, with those businesses in central London demanding the strictest precautions. "It is our job to fall in line with a client's requirement," says Linda Halliday, director of Wilson Storey Halliday. "Some clients require full security checks to be carried out on the staff and, if they do, it is something that they set up on our behalf."

Wilson Storey Halliday has 160 contracts, predominantly in London and the South-east of England, and fewer than 10% require security checks to be made. Those that do are likely to be Government departments or banks, explains Halliday.

In some cases, staff will be allowed to start work before security clearance has been obtained, but they are then likely to be restricted to the catering department. If a client is ultra-sensitive, staff will not be allowed to start work until the security clearance has been obtained.

Some office blocks in the City of London now have security that is as tight as that found at any airport. At Tower 42, where Gary Rhodes's restaurant, Rhodes Twenty Four, is located, all bags are checked and all visitors pass through metal-detection scanners before entering the building.

The Compass Group, which operates Rhodes Twenty Four through its fine-dining arm, Restaurant Associates, takes security very seriously at all the 9,000 contracts that it operates throughout the UK and Ireland. "Ultimately, the security policy on any site where we provide food service is the policy of our client," says a spokeswoman. "We will work with them to ensure our staff and suppliers work to the policies specified by the client, which are quite bespoke to individual premises."

Compass has a clear policy on vetting all staff, with applicants being fully checked in terms of their legal status, their right to work in the UK, and thorough reference checks. But individual clients may also request additional checks. Anyone working with children or vulnerable adults, for instance, requires a disclosure check with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Defence clients usually require additional disclosure checks.

In some cases, a new Compass employee will be able to start work without receiving security clearance, but it is always down to the client.

Sodexho, which operates contracts at about 2,500 locations throughout the UK, agrees that strict vetting of staff is a prerequisite for contract caterers when bidding for new contracts at sensitive sites.

Cliff Fiander, Sodexho's contract director at the Aldershot Garrison, says that the company makes basic checks on every staff member being employed at any of its 50 defence contracts in Britain. Basic checks involve police searches and, if they are deemed necessary, credit searches. He adds that secretaries, personal assistants and office workers are vetted in more depth, since they perform a function similar to a civil servant as part of the support services contract.

"All of these staff are subject to the same responsibilities and restraints as any civil servant, including the Official Secrets Act," says Fiander. "The more senior the role, the more widely we check family members' police and credit histories."

In addition, the caterer employs more stringent security checks for non-UK citizens. If it cannot trace their residence for more than 36 months, it will not employ them on secure contracts. Each applicant must also provide proof of their address and photo identification.

"If we can't trace a police criminal history, the applicant poses a threat to the security of the site," Fiander says. "In this day and age, we can't be too careful - our clients deal in sensitive information and we have a duty to respect and protect their business."

The House of Commons The Palace of Westminster is now one of the most secure buildings in Britain. Concrete blocks surround the north side of the building to frustrate potential suicide bombers, and bulletproof screens are being erected to separate MPs and the public gallery in the chamber of the House of Commons.

While London's Metropolitan Police check all guests who have been invited to lunch or dinner at any of the House of Commons' restaurants - everyone entering the building must go through a scanner - the catering department is responsible for ensuring that all staff and suppliers are security-checked.

No one can work in the kitchens or restaurants at Parliament without obtaining security clearance. "The shortest time in which a member of staff has been security-cleared is two weeks, but it can sometimes take several months," says Sue Harrison, director of catering services at the House of Commons. "Luckily, we have a low level of staff turnover here, but it does inevitably mean that we have to wait a considerable amount of time before a new member of staff can join us.

"We always advise staff who wish to join us not to hand in their notice in their current position, even though we may have given them a conditional job offer, as we can't confirm the offer until the security clearance has come through. Unfortunately, this has meant we have lost some good candidates in the past, who have not been prepared to wait. It is something we are pragmatic about, as there is nothing we can do."

As well as 300 permanent staff working in the House of Commons catering department, there are also about 50 security-cleared casual workers, who can be called in on a daily basis.

All regular suppliers have to nominate specific drivers to be checked and issued with security passes. Only these people are allowed into the House of Commons to make deliveries.

"If a lorry arrives without a security-checked driver, members of the catering department have to go to the entrance with a trolley to collect the goods," says Harrison. "But this doesn't happen very often, as we give the supplier a hard time when it does."

Major sporting events Security at all of the UK's major sporting events this summer, including the tennis championships at Wimbledon, the FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and horse racing at Royal Ascot, is expected to be tighter than ever. With the catering at these occasions being provided by a large number of casual workers, security is a major logistical undertaking.

A spokeswoman for Compass, which provides the catering at Wimbledon, the Millennium Stadium and Twickenham rugby stadium, explains that the company keeps a database of casuals who have previously worked with Compass and who have all been reference-checked and had their legal status clarified. "We work closely with the Immigration Service and Special Branch," she says. "A week before any high-profile event, details of all temporary staff working at the event are sent to both organisations to check through. Additionally, both organisations will be on site with us to check-in casual staff when they arrive."

Internationally, the biggest challenge facing the security services this summer is the policing of the Olympic Games in Athens. Aramarkdasko - a company formed by contract caterer Aramark and Greek business group Daskalantonakis - will be providing nearly 12 million meals for athletes, coaches, team officials, the press and spectators during both the Olympic Games and the Para-Olympics, throughout August and September.

Co-ordinating the catering operation is the Athens 2004 Food Services Department, which is liaising closely with the Olympic Games Security Division, a special police unit created for the Olympic Games.